﻿Botany. 
  243 
  

  

  tebrata 
  and 
  had 
  distributed 
  them 
  from 
  their 
  studio 
  and 
  labora- 
  

   tories 
  in 
  Dresden 
  to 
  museums 
  throughout 
  the 
  world, 
  might 
  be 
  

   induced 
  to 
  try 
  their 
  hand 
  at 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  models 
  of 
  flowers 
  

   and 
  leaves. 
  A 
  visit 
  expressly 
  for 
  this 
  purpose 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  Ger- 
  

   many 
  in 
  1886. 
  It 
  was 
  only 
  after 
  much 
  solicitation 
  that 
  the 
  

   Blaschkas, 
  father 
  and 
  son, 
  were 
  led 
  to 
  undertake 
  the 
  construction 
  

   of 
  a 
  few 
  specimens. 
  These 
  proved 
  entirely 
  satisfactory. 
  They 
  

   were 
  so 
  thoroughly 
  promising 
  in 
  every 
  respect 
  that 
  arrangements 
  

   were 
  made 
  at 
  once 
  for 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  about 
  a 
  hundred 
  

   selected 
  types. 
  The 
  Blaschkas 
  reviewed 
  their 
  botanical 
  studies, 
  

   always 
  with 
  them 
  a 
  favorite 
  pursuit, 
  and 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  new 
  

   work 
  with 
  interest 
  and 
  uninterrupted 
  success. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  

   elder 
  Blaschka, 
  the 
  work 
  was 
  really 
  the 
  resumption 
  of 
  an 
  under- 
  

   taking 
  begun 
  at 
  the 
  instance 
  of 
  Professor 
  Reichenbach 
  in 
  1866. 
  

   The 
  models 
  which 
  were 
  then 
  made 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  Museum 
  of 
  

   Natural 
  History 
  at 
  Liege, 
  Belgium, 
  and 
  were 
  consumed 
  in 
  the 
  

   destructive 
  fire 
  of 
  1868. 
  Since 
  that 
  date, 
  no 
  glass 
  models 
  of 
  

   plants 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  either 
  the 
  elder 
  or 
  the 
  younger 
  Blaschka 
  : 
  

   their 
  time 
  had 
  been 
  fully 
  occupied 
  with 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  models 
  

   of 
  marine 
  invertebrata. 
  

  

  The 
  new 
  undertaking 
  was 
  of 
  course 
  very 
  costly, 
  but 
  this 
  con- 
  

   sideration 
  did 
  not 
  deter 
  Mrs. 
  Elizabeth 
  C. 
  Ware 
  and 
  her 
  daughter 
  

   Miss 
  Mary 
  L. 
  Ware, 
  of 
  Boston, 
  from 
  authorizing 
  extended 
  con- 
  

   tracts 
  with 
  the 
  artists 
  for 
  their 
  entire 
  output 
  of 
  flower-models. 
  

   The 
  subjects 
  for 
  study 
  were 
  carefully 
  selected 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  

   a 
  complete 
  representation 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  types 
  of 
  structure 
  in 
  the 
  

   vegetable 
  kingdom, 
  and 
  these 
  subjects 
  were 
  confined, 
  where 
  

   practicable, 
  to 
  the 
  species 
  found 
  in 
  North, 
  South, 
  and 
  Central 
  

   America. 
  Up 
  to 
  1888, 
  the 
  generous 
  patrons 
  of 
  the 
  enterprise 
  

   had 
  not 
  permitted 
  their 
  names 
  to 
  be 
  known 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  it, 
  

   but 
  it 
  was 
  now 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  magnitude 
  and 
  beauty 
  of 
  the 
  

   collection 
  justified 
  its 
  designation 
  as 
  a 
  memorial 
  to 
  the 
  late 
  Dr. 
  

   Charles 
  Eliot 
  Ware. 
  

  

  The 
  last 
  contract 
  with 
  the 
  artists 
  bears 
  date 
  of 
  1890, 
  and 
  runs 
  

   to 
  1900. 
  The 
  Phaenogamia 
  now 
  on 
  hand 
  comprise 
  122 
  natural 
  

   orders, 
  407 
  genera, 
  and 
  507 
  species. 
  These 
  figures 
  indicate 
  suffi- 
  

   ciently 
  that 
  the 
  subjects 
  have 
  been 
  chosen 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  

   widest 
  possible 
  range 
  of 
  illustration. 
  

  

  Each 
  plant-model 
  is 
  accompanied 
  by 
  models 
  of 
  structural 
  details, 
  

   for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  highly 
  magnified. 
  There 
  are 
  2160 
  of 
  these 
  

   details, 
  making 
  with 
  the 
  large 
  models, 
  more 
  than 
  2,600 
  pieces 
  of 
  

   glass-work. 
  The 
  present 
  rate 
  of 
  production 
  is 
  about 
  one 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  models 
  and 
  five 
  hundred 
  of 
  the 
  minor 
  ones, 
  

   each 
  year. 
  When 
  it 
  is 
  remembered 
  that 
  all 
  of 
  this 
  work 
  is 
  based 
  

   on 
  original 
  botanical 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  in 
  hand, 
  and 
  is 
  accom- 
  

   plished 
  by 
  two 
  artists 
  who 
  carry 
  on 
  their 
  modelling 
  unaided 
  by 
  

   any 
  assistants, 
  the 
  rapidity 
  of 
  execution 
  must 
  be 
  acknowledged 
  

   to 
  be 
  marvelous. 
  

  

  As 
  Mr. 
  Walter 
  Deane 
  has 
  shown 
  by 
  his 
  account 
  of 
  a 
  minute 
  

   examination 
  of 
  the 
  Blaschka 
  models 
  of 
  our 
  Eastern 
  plants, 
  there 
  

  

  